Some may have noticed blue tarp hanging over some books in the children's room of the Nanuet Library. Water has seeped through the roof and has caused water damage to the ceiling and several books on one of the shelves.
How did this happen? With extreme heat comes extreme problems.
The summer's high temperatures caused one of the three HVAC units on the library's roof to malfunction. Currently, the on hot days is a continuous spray of water on the problematic unit to keep it cool and functioning properly.
Unfortunately, fixing one problem unintentionally caused another. Water from the sprinkler has caused water to seep through the roof and into the children's room, damaging a section of new books on one of the shelves.
"None of the 40 books that got really wet could be salvaged. The water must have seeped through between Saturday night and Sunday morning when we were closed—it was discovered by staff on Monday morning," Library Director Gretchen Bell.
Bell said that drains were checked and none of them were clogged and a Honeywell representative is coming on Thursday to inspect the situation.
At the library board meeting on Wednesday night, the leak was discussed and the extent of the roof's water damage is not known.
"(The damage) if it's not caused by a storm, it’s not covered by our insurance,” said Joe Modafferi, the library's accountant.
The leaky roofs at the library is .
Correction: According to a Honeywell representative, the problematic HVAC unit is not Honeywell technology but from the Carrier manufacturer. Honeywell helps service the equipment and has worked closely with the facility staff to maintain comfort while the library determines how to replace the unit.
